Upcoming exhibitions

Abraham Bosse – etchings

28 January 2014 to 22 June 2014

A presentation in the Print GalleryAbraham Bosse was a French artist of German origin. He was born around 1603 in Tours. Bosse is principally known for the large number of etchings he made, circa 1,600 in total. Many of these were intended as illustrations for books, but he also sold them separately.

Bosse made series of prints in which he illustrated episodes from Bible stories or other moralistic tales. In the manner in which he depicted these scenes as everyday, almost trivial situations, he was influenced by Dutch and Flemish art. The setting, however, is clearly French, and his preference, respectively that of his clientele, was for the higher social milieus. This combination makes his work extremely original. One striking aspect is the close attention he pays to clothing, a characteristic he may have inherited from his father, who was a tailor. Bosse died in Paris in 1676.

The Groninger Museum has several dozen etchings by Bosse in its collection. A representative selection has been made for this presentation in the Print Gallery.